Olympics 2016: Women's Golf Preview

On Wednesday August 17th, Round 1 of the Olympic Women’s Golf Tournament in Rio will begin. Surprisingly, only one female golfer refused to make the trip to Rio due to the Zika virus, compared to the numerous famous male golfers who chose not to compete. Round 1 begins on Wednesday morning, with World #1 Lydia Ko teeing off a few hours later. All golf fans will be in for some fantastic action from Rio as the first round kicks off.

Form

Some of the best female golfers on the planet will take center stage on Wednesday, including New Zealander Lydia Ko and American Lexi Thompson. Ko became the youngest-ever World #1 at just 17 years old in February 2015. Now 19, she’s racked up 14 LPGA tour wins already in just three years and last year won the LPGA’s Player of the Year Award, making her the youngest winner in 49 years. Ko was the LPGA Rookie of the Year in 2014, the LPGA’s Money Winner in 2015, and she even won the ESPY for Best Female Golfer in 2015 and 2016. Winning a gold medal would be just another accolade in her ascension to the top of the golf world.

Lexi Thompson, the other favorite to win gold in Rio, has also experienced much success at a young age. The Florida-born 21-year-old played in the Women’s U.S. Open at just 12 years old and turned professional when she was 15. She’s captured seven LPGA tour wins, including her first at the age of 16, making her the youngest tour winner ever. This will be her first Olympics appearance, but she’s already won an international event- the Dubai Ladies Masters. Don’t expect Thompson to be daunted by the pressure of representing her country in Rio – she’s done it all and still has so much ahead of her to achieve.

Sports.net’s view

Though golf is one of the most unpredictable sports out there when it comes to betting, these two ladies sure seem like true contenders in Rio. Ko appears to have more momentum and more tournament experience heading into the Olympics, so she’s the favorite right now. The field doesn’t stand a chance against these two dominant women. You should expect to see them battling it out in the final round. If you want to get better odds, you can make a double chance bet for Ko/Jutanugarn at 6/4 with Sky Bet or Lewis/Thompson at 11/2 with the same bookmaker.

Sports.net’s top tip: A safe bet is to back Lydia Ko to win gold in Rio. She’s been on a great run of form in LPGA tour events and that should continue in the Olympics.

*Please note, odds may fluctuate.

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